He
could talk fluently by eighteen months and read by two. He read the
newspaper every morning, and even though he didn't understand a lot
of it, his pronunciation was wonderful.

Molly
Weasley had owled Arthur and proudly told him. Charlie had patted his
brother on the head and gave him a reader to go through.

Then,
when Percy was three, and Charlie was at school and Molly was very
pregnant with twins, Percy was left with his books and his quill and
some spare paper to entertain himself through the long days.

There
were house rules where he stayed. The Burrow, their house, had been
abandoned a few months ago. They lived in a house with lots of people
coming and going.

There
was the little round man who bounced him on his knee and told him
stories about Hogwarts. He was only there for two days before he went
away.

Next
was the thin man with dark circles under his eyes and a tired smile.
He sat with Percy all through the night, when his mum was asleep or
suffering cramps as the twins kicked. He was told to call him Remy,
because his name was too adult sounding and Mr Lupin was his father.

He
stayed nearly six days. He was kind and friendly and hugged Percy
when he was scared.

Then,
on the seventh day, he said he had to go. He told Percy he'd come
back to see him.

But
he never did.

After
Remy was a visit from a man with a long white beard and a jolly
laugh. He wore a cloak with a long hood and a pom pom, and he had a
big bag with him.

Percy
asked him if he Father Christmas. He said he wasn't, but Percy
suspected he really was, but he said he wouldn't give him away. The
man had patted his head and thanked him and given him a letter from
Charlie and Bill.

That's
how he knew he really was Father Christmas, because it was just what
he wanted.

A
month later, Molly gave birth. She screamed and abused and Percy hid
under the kitchen table until it all went silent and the nurse came
downstairs and told him his mum wanted to see him.

She
smiled at him when he went in. She was sweaty and she had a baby in
each arm.

She
told him that the one on the left was George and the one on the right
was Frederick. He was their big brother.

Two
weeks later, Molly and the twins were moved to a safe house far away,
where they would be safe and not heard when the twins screamed all
the time.

His
mum told him to be brave, but he had to stay, because it was safer
away from the twins. Charlie would come home soon, so would his dad.

He
said good bye, and he was left at the safe house with a revolving set
of adults taking care of him.

Six
months later, Percy turned four. He stopped speaking, because they
were hunting for him. He knew they were after him, he heard Father
Christmas and what had to be Mrs Christmas talking with a lady they
called Mrs Longbottom.

He
thought her name was a bit funny, but he didn't laugh. Laughing was
even louder than talking.

Father
Christmas had said "He's the only Weasley we can't find a safer
place for. Arthur is worried sick about him.".

Then
Mrs Christmas; with her grey bun and long robes; had said, "Arthur
is in a dangerous position. If they were to find Percival, he would
be good leverage against them. You remember what happened to Isolde
Blacktree. They took three weeks to identify the body she was so
badly mutilated. The magic was still crackling around her."

Mrs
Longbottom had sniffed. "I remember. The poor child, she was
only the same age as Percy. Not as aware though. I swear, that boy
knows more about magic than the First years at Hogwarts."

Father
Christmas said, "Maybe, but he's still a little boy, and we need
to keep him safe. If anyone sees that red hair, they'll know he's
Arthur's child. How does he behave?"

"Like
a little angel," Mrs Longbottom said. "He's quiet, he stays
away from the windows, he barely even speaks anymore. He even cleans
up after himself and repacks everything in his travelling case every
night."

Father
Christmas had looked thoughtful then and Percy had gone back
upstairs. He barely heard Mrs Christmas say, "It's a pity he
can't be taught any spells. He has no way of defending himself,
should the worst happen."

"Should
the worse happen, a child couldn't stop them anyway."

He
had gone to bed then, but he hadn't been able to sleep.

Mrs
Longbottom, and sometimes Mr Longbottom, were with him for two months
and five days. They told him that his mum was pregnant again. It was
going to be a boy.

He
said they should call him Ronald, or Ron, because Ron was a better
name than Percival.

Then,
Mr and Mrs Longbottom went away, and, for a short time, Lily moved in

Lily
was sweet. She had red, red hair, like his mother, and big green
eyes. She smiled a lot. She was pregnant too, but she didn't want to
know what her baby would be.

She
said she was a friend of Remy. Remy was away fighting with her
husband James and their friends Siri and Peter.

Peter
turned out to be the round man who had told him stories. She was
surprised he remembered.

Percy
remembered everything. People said it made him special.

He
just wanted to be able to forget like all the other kids his age.

Lily
didn't try to make him talk. She gave him a blank book and told him
he should write down things. Sometimes he wrote, but not often. He
didn't need to write to remember.

Then,
when she was swollen and slow, James arrived and took Lily away.

Hagrid
stayed for two days. He was big and noisy and made Percy scared,
because silence was your friend.

He
took Percy to a new safe house. A safe house with lots of scared
looking adults who were quiet. He called them muggles.

Percy
knew what that was, but he didn't say so. They all stayed together
and were silent.

Percy
worked out who they were. They were the families of people fighting.
This way, they were away from the Death Eaters and the Dark Lord
Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

Molly
had given birth to a little boy. They called him Ronald.

Lily
also gave birth. But he didn't hear about that for several more
weeks.

A
week after he went to the Muggle safe house, they were attacked. The
three wizards protecting them were completely inadequate to look
after seven adults and a wizarding child.

The
rules were, no less than one wizard for every two defenceless people.
They were short staffed, because they weren't important. The wizards
were elsewhere, guarding important people.

The
wizards died almost instantly, and rather than staying hidden and
quiet, the adults started screaming and running around. Just in case
the Death Eaters hadn't already located them.

Percy
hid under the staircase. He listened to people screaming and the
Death Eaters laughing. The screaming kept on going and going, and he
thought of Isolde Blacktree, whose little mangled body had been found
all those months ago.

Then,
someone opened the door.

The
Death Eater wore long black robes and a silver mask. He had bright
dark eyes and he watched Percy for a second.

Percy
watched him back. He did not scream. It wouldn't help. He didn't even
cry, though maybe a tear escaped.

The
Death Eater looked around stepped into the close, closing it behind
him. He pulled out his wand in the gloom and Percy closed his eyes.

"Lumos."

The
man pushed up his mask. He wasn't very old, not even as old as his
mum and dad. He looked the same age as Remy, with the same worn and
tired look.

But
Remy looked alive. This man looked like he had died inside a long
time ago.

"You're
a Weasley."

He
didn't say anything.

"Stay
quiet, and you will get out of here unharmed."

The
man slid his mask back on and picked him up, tucking him under his
cloak. He had held onto the man's neck, and he was warm, just like
the other adults he had met.

He
kept Percy's face pushed against his neck as he hurried through the
burning safe house. He didn't stop until they were outside, where he
put Percy down.

He
pushed a small token into his hand. "When I leave, whisper
'Sanctum', and the coin will take you to safety. Tell them the safe
house was attacked, and that the snake will report tonight."

The
dark eyes had watched him. He felt like someone was actually paying
attention to him for the time in years. "Remember, Percival.
Sanctum, then tell them everything you can remember."

He
nodded. The man straightened up and brushed down his robes.

"Sir?"
It was the first word he had spoken in over three months.

The
man was still.

"How
can I thank you?" He whispered.

"Be
a good, law abiding man, Percival."

And
he was gone.

Percy
thought about that and then whispered, "Sanctum."

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